tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post545230950006220867..comments2024-03-05T10:52:24.691+00:00Comments on Mark Wadsworth: Unsurprising Headline Of The DayMark Wadsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07733511175178098449noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-73544084763682450482014-12-17T10:42:49.384+00:002014-12-17T10:42:49.384+00:00Re the fire brigade. In my case it is there to he...Re the fire brigade. In my case it is there to help me - I have no neighbours. Yay!Lolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04586735342675041312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-88022315268429913952014-12-17T09:31:13.539+00:002014-12-17T09:31:13.539+00:00MW, I'm a bit surprised at your comparison to ...MW, I'm a bit surprised at your comparison to the fire brigade. The value of the fire brigade is much higher to the owner of expensive land as the rental value will plummet more if there's an uncontrolled fire. A house that burns to the ground will be more expensive to repair and will not be able to generate rent for a longer time than one where a fire is caught early. And of course this will impact what a bank will lend on it.<br />Regarding car insurance, the problem with universal, central insurance is that it introduces serious moral hazard. Bad drivers (young males, people who are pathologically irresponsible, etc.) will not be as deterred by high insurance costs from driving as they are now and accident rates will inevitably go up. And corruption on a grand scale could ensue as well - take a look at the Road Accident Fund in South Africamombershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09650866436764567516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-83662121153588450172014-12-17T08:10:46.780+00:002014-12-17T08:10:46.780+00:00Kj, that makes it even worse about India.
TS, so...Kj, that makes it even worse about India. <br /><br />TS, sorry, but I've never been "conned" by a mini-cab driver and I have unfailingly and always been "conned" by taxi drivers, in every country I've ever been in.Mark Wadsworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07733511175178098449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-68066004822766671842014-12-16T23:56:21.570+00:002014-12-16T23:56:21.570+00:00IMO British taxi laws work very well.
Black cab -...IMO British taxi laws work very well.<br /><br />Black cab - highly regulated, fixed charges. Suits people arriving in a town they don't know as they know they aren't going to get conned (and people who get conned for a taxi in a different town can't be bothered suing).<br /><br />Minicab - lightly regulated (clean driving license, clean criminal record, insured car). Works for locals who can test the market out, find a company they like using.<br /><br />The problem with Paris isn't that they won't allow unlicensed taxis. A bit of consumer protection in this area is quite sensible. It's that there's been producer capture by the owners of very expensive taxi licenses who have been trying to stop minicabs from taking off.Tim Almondhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13369256383976094670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1141932539860553199.post-62680939242524209722014-12-16T22:26:58.106+00:002014-12-16T22:26:58.106+00:00Re India, in a radio report about it, Word was tha...Re India, in a radio report about it, Word was that lots of women felt Uber was safer in spite of the mentioned incident, and lost a safer mode of transport than the public buses. Which are ofcourse much more prone to these incidents.<br /><br />Re taxi-drivers, they are pretty prone to violent action anywhere, not just the Frogs. I remember in the olden days, when after we got our drivers licenses, we did some rides for cash without all the papers in orders. Licensed drivers were not strangers to strike hard against any such activities, hands-on if they deemed it necessary...Kjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13530243002915410700noreply@blogger.com